Quickly detachable valve means



Jain. 30, 1968 I s. E. CURRAN' 3,365,364?

' QUICKLY DETACHABLE VALVE MEANS I Fil ed Feb. 18, 1965 x 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 amma.- n; M

INVENTOR ERNARD E. CURRAN BYE 4L 4 ATTORNEY Jan. 30, 1968 v B. E. CURRAN 3,366,364

QUICKLY DETACHABLEVALVE MEANS Filed Feb. 1s, 1965 I 3 Shets-Sheet 2 //Vl E/VTOR Pig. r BERNARDE. CURRAN Jan. 30, 1968 B. E. CURRAN QUICKLY DETACHABLE VALVE MEANS B Sheets-Sheet s Filed Feb. 18, 196' 7?- Fig-9 l/VVE/VTOA. BERNARD E. CURRAN 5y 7 I. I

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,366,364 QUICKLY DETACHABLE VALVE MEANS Bernard E. Curran, Sewickley, Pa., assignor to H. H. Robertson Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 433,613 12 Claims. (Cl. 25185) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A valve unit including motor means supporting a plug for reciprocal movement relative to the rim of a collar for regulating the flow of gas from a gas supply conduit, such as an underfloor air cell. The collar is inserted into a sleeve communicating with the gas supply conduit. Quickly detachable coupling means incorporated into the collar and the sleeve permit the valve unit to be quickly connected to and disconnected from the sleeve.

This invention relates to improved valve units which are readily attachable and removable, and more particularly to valves of the type described, for use in regulating the discharge of a gas from a gas supply conduit.

Although not limited thereto, the present valve is particularly adaptable for use with air conditioning apparatus wherein the valves regulate the discharge of conditioned air into a room for the purpose of maintaining a substantially uniform temperature within said room.

In certain modern multistory buildings, such air conditioning apparatus comprises, in part, a pair of air cells conveying air at different conditions. These air cells form a part of a cellular metal subfioor over which is poured a layer of concrete. The cellular metal subfioor and the layer of concrete comprise a floor of the building. As is conventional, the air cells extend to at least one exterior wall and are preferably positioned directly beneath windows provided in the exterior wall. Risers extend through the surface of the concrete to the air cells and serve to communicate the conditioned air from the air cel s into an enclosure commonly known as a mixer box or sill box. The mixer box is provided with an outlet grill through which the conditioned air is discharged into the interior of the room.

Heretofore, valves of various constructions have been employed to regulate the discharge of air from each of the risers. These valves have been rigidly secured to the risers, for example, by means of a plurality of fasteners. Consequently, a considerable amount of time and effort is required, on the part of a workman, to properly install each valve. Furthermore, replacement of these valves has been an unduly burdensome and time-consuming job.

Accordingly, as an overall object, the present invention seeks to provide an improved valve unit which may be quickly and easily installed and replaced when required.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve unit of the type described, which is of improved construction and operation.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved valve having means for automatically sealing the connection between the valve and an outlet conduit.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved valve of the type described, having means for compensating for misalignments between the plug and the valve seat thereby insuring complete shut-off of the valve when required.

In accordance with the present invention, a valve unit is provided having a collar, one end of which is adapted to serve as a valve seat, the other end of which is adapted to be inserted into a sleeve communicating with a gas sup- 3,366,364 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 ply unit. Quickly detachable coupling means is provided for connecting the collar, and hence the valve unit as a whole, to the sleeve. The coupling means is such that connection of the collar to the sleeve is accomplished simply by the fractional rotation of the valve unit about its longitudinal axis. Hence, the present valve unit is readily attachable to a sleeve and is readily replaceable when required. Sealing means also is provided for sealing the connection between the collar and the sleeve.

The present valve unit incorporates a plug which is formed from relatively light-gage sheet metal and preferably fabricated by a stamping process. The material of construction used and the method employed to fabricate the plug reduces considerably the overall cost of the plug. The plug has an annular area confronting the valve seat and arranged to correspond therewith. The plug is supported for movement axially toward and away from engagement with the valve seat to regulate the flow of gas out of the valve unit. The plug must, of necessity, be supported in a manner which will permit complete surface engagement to occur between the annular area of the plug and the valve seat. However, due to fabricating tolerances, this is not always the case. Consequently, means are provided for compensating for any misalignment between the annular area of the plug and the valve seat. Complete shut-off of the valve unit is thus assured.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a room of a building provided with air conditioning apparatus employing valve units constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, schematically illustrating a typical flow control arrangement for the air conditioning apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional View, taken axially through one of the valve units illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of the valve unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a screed ring employed in the valve unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a seating ring employed in the valve unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale and taken along the line VIIVII of FIG. 3, illustrating quickly detachable coupling means for connecting the seating ring of FIG. 6 to the screed ring of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a fragment, partly in cross section, of an annular gasket member employed in the apparatus of FIG. 7 and shown in an uncompressed condition;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating an alternative embodiment of quickly detachable coupling means for connecting a seating ring to a screed ring; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line XX of FIG. 9, illustrating an L-shaped recess employed in the coupling means of FIG. 9.

TYPICAL ENVIRONMENT OF PRESENT VALVE UNIT Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a portion of a room 10 of a building bounded by a floor 12, an interior wall 14 and an exterior wall 16 having a window 18 provided therein. The floor 12 consists of a cellular metal subfioor 20 supported on beams 22 of the structural framework of the building, crossover electrical wiring ducts 24 secured to and disposed above the subfioor 20, a layer of concrete 26 overlying the subfioor 20 and the crossover ducts 24, and a decorative floor covering 28 which may comprise, for example, linoleum, tiles and the like.

The cellular metal subfloor 20 provides a plurality of cells 30 serving as conduits or raceways for power cables, telephone wires and the like. The cells 30 all extend in one direction with respect to the room while the crossover ducts 24 extend transversely of the cells 30. Consequently, the cells 30 and the crossover ducts 24 serve as a conduit network for distributing the power cables, telephone Wires and the like to various locations in the room 10.

The cellular metal subfloor also provides a pair of relatively wide air cells 32, 34 which extend parallel with the cells 30 to the exterior wall 16. Header ducts 36, 38 communicate with the air cells 32, 34, respectively, and serve to supply the air cells 32, 34 with air at different conditions. For example, the header duct 36 may supply cold air to the air cell 32 while the header duct 38 supplies hot air to the air cell 34.

Directly beneath the window 18 there is positioned a mixer box enclosure 40 enclosing a pair of valve units 42, 44 each of which is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The valve units 42, 44 serve to regulate the discharge of cold air and hot air from the air cells 32, 34, by proportioning the flow rates thereof whereby a substantially constant temperature is maintained within the room 10.

The control mechanisms for the valve units 42, 44 may comprise, for example, a thermostat 46 mounted on the interior wall 14 at a position remote from the enclosure 40. Extending from the thermostat 46 to the valve unit 42 is a pneumatic conduit 48 containing control air whose pressure level corresponds to the temperature which is detected by the thermostat 46. Within the enclosure 40 there is provided a differential pressure sensing mechanism 50 having a pneumatic conduit 52 extending therefrom to the valve unit 44. The pneumatic conduit 52 contains control air for the valve unit 44 whose pressure corresponds to a differential pressure which is measured Within the enclosure 40. A pneumatic supply conduit 54 supplies control air to the thermostat 46 and to the differential pressure sensing mechanism 50.

It should be noted, at this time, the present valve unit is not limited to use in the enclosure 40 described above. The present valve unit could, instead, be used with the other air distributing apparatus positioned, for example, on or in a wall and on or in a ceiling.

TYPICAL FLOW CONTROL APPARATUS Reference is now directed to FIG. 2 wherein the enclosure 40 is schematically illustrated for the purpose of describing a typical flow control apparatus and its operation with respect to the valve units 42, 44. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the enclosure 40 is provided with transversely extending partitions 56, 58 whose opposed ends provide an orifice 60. A baflie 62 is interposed between the orifice 60 and an outlet grill 64 provided in the enclosure 40. The differential pressure sensing mechanism 50 includes an upstream pressure sensing conduit 66 for sensing the pressure of the air within a mixing chamber 68 of the enclosure 40, and a downstream pressure sensing conduit 70 for sensing the pressure of the air flowing downstream of the orifice 60. Hence, the differential pressure measured by the two pressure sensing conduits 66, 70 regulates the pressure of control air admitted to.

the valve 44 through the conduit 52.

In operation, the stream of cold and hot air issuing from the valve units 42, 44 respectively, are blended in-the mixing chamber 68 for discharge through the grill 64 so as to maintain a substantially uniform temperature, for example, 70 F., within the room 10. If the temperature within the room 10 falls below the desired temperature, the thermostat 46 changes the pressure of the control air supplied by the pneumatic conduit 48 to the valve unit 42 so as to effect throttling thereof and a reduction in the amount of cold air issuing therefrom. Simultaneously, the reduction in cold air flow rate from the valve unit 42 tends to cause a drop in the differential pressure across the orifice 60. The reduced differential pressure is sensed by the pressure sensing conduits 66, 70 and, in response thereto, the pressure of the control air supplied by the penumatic conduit 52 changes so as to increase the flow rate of hot air from the valve unit 44. Conversely, if the temperature within the room 10 increases above the desired temperature, the thermostat 46 will change the pressure of the control air supplied by the pneumatic conduit 48 to the valve unit 42 whereby the flow rate of cold air issuing from the valve unit 42 will be increased. Simultaneously, the pressure sensing conduits 66, 70 will sense an increased differential pressure across the orifice 60 and, in response thereto, will change the pressure of the control air in the pneumatic conduit 52 so as to cause a reduction in the flow rate of hot air issuing from the valve 44.

PRESENT VALVE UNIT 54 heretofore described in connection with the control mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2.

Reference is now directed to FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein the valve unit of the present invention is illustrated and identified by the numeral 42. It should be noted, however, that the valve unit 44 of FIGS. 1 and 2, is identical to the valve unit 42 and that the following description of the valve 42 applies equally as well to the valve unit 44.

RISER Extending through the upper surface of the layer of concrete 26, is a riser 72 comprising an upstanding, generally cylindrical portion 74 having a first or lower end portion 76 and a second or upper end portion 78. A radial flange 80 is provided at the extreme lower end of the first end portion 76. The riser 72 is engaged with and projects upwardly from an upper wall 82 of the air cell 32 and is positioned in coaxially aligned relation with an opening 84 provided in the upper wall 82. The riser 72 is secured to the air cell 32 by any suitable fastener means, such as, a plurality of self-tapping screws 86 extending through the radial flange 80 and the upper Wall 82 of the air cell 32. The riser 72 is illustrated as being a one-piece unit. It should be evident, however, that if desired, the riser 72 could, instead, comprise a two-piece unit arranged to render the riser 72 adjustable in length whereby the' extreme upper rim thereof may be positioned substantially flush with the intended upper surface or screed level of the layer of concrete 26.

VALVE UNIT The valve unit 42 comprises a collar 88 having a first or upper end portion 90 and a second or lower end portion 92; quickly detachable coupling means 94 for detachably connecting thecollar 88 to the riser 72; a yoke flange 96 engaged externally of and secured to the collar 88; a mounting plate 98 supporting a pneumatically operated piston motor 100; a plurality of brackets 102 securing the mounting plate 98 to the yoke flange 96 in spaced-apart relation; and a plug 104 supported by a shaft 144 of the piston motor 100 for movement axially toward and away from the collar 88.

COLLAR 88 At the extreme upper rim of the upper end portion 90 of the collar 88, there is provided a seating seal member 106 preferably formed from rubber or similar resilient material and shaped so as to be self-securing. The seating seal member 106 has an upper surface 107 comprising a valve seat adapted to be engaged by the plug 104. The second end portion 92 of the collar 88 is inserted into the second end portion 78 of the riser 72 whereby the second end portions 78, 92 are disposed in overlapped surface engagement. It should be noted at this time that the inner diameter of the second end portion 92 of the collar 88, the inner diameter of the seating seal member 106 and the inner diameter of the first or lower end portion 76 of the riser 72 are substantially equal to the inner diameter of the opening 84. Hence, a substantially uninterrupted flow passageway is provided for the air flowing through the riser 72 and the collar 88.

QUICKLY DETACHABLE COUPLING MEANS 94 Referring now to FIGS. 3, 5, 6 and 7, the second or upper end portion 78 of the riser 72 comprises an intermediate portion 108 and a terminal portion 110. The intermediate portion 108 is radially outwardly offset from the first lower end portion 76 of the riser 72 by an amount equal to the wall thickness of the second end portion 92 of the collar 88 whereby the inner surface of the second end portion 92 of the collar 88 is flush with the inner surface of the first end portion 76 of the riser 72. The terminal portion 110 is radially outwardly offset from the intermediate portion 108 so as to provide an annular space 112 defined by an outer surface 114 of the collar 88 and an inner surface 116 of the terminal portion 110. The terminal portion 110 includes a riser flange 118 which is formed integrally with the extreme upper end thereof and which is preferably positioned substantially flush with the screed level of the concrete 26.

The quickly detachable coupling means 94 comprises at least one and preferably a plurality of equiangularly spaced, elongated projections 120 formed in the second end portion 92 of the collar 88 and at least one and preferably a plurality of equiangularly spaced, elongated projections 122 formed in the second end portion 78 of the riser 72. The elongated projections 120 project outwardly of the outer surface 114 of the second end portion 92 while the elongated projections 122 project inwardly of the inner surface 116 of the terminal portion 110. As can best be seen in FIG. 3, the projections 120, 122 are inclined with respect to an imaginary plane, indicated by the dash-dot line 124, extending perpendicularly to the central axes of the riser 72 and of the collar 88. Consequently, the elongated projections 120, 122, in reality, comprise fractional external and internal threads positioned for interlocking engagement by the fractional rotation of the collar 88 about its central axis and relative to the riser 72. The elongated projections 120, 122 preferably are formed integrally with the collar 88 and the riser 72, for example, by expanding appropriate wall portions of the collar 88 and the riser 72.

YOKE FLANGE 96 Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 7, the yoke flange 96 comprises a central cylindrical portion 126 having a mounting flange 128 formed on its upper end and an outwardly expanded, circumferentially extending lower wall portion 130 provided with a rolled lower edge 132. The central cylindrical portion 126 is engaged with the outer surface of the collar 88 and is secured thereto by any suitable means, such as, spot-welding. The rolled lower edge 132 is adapted to engage the upper surface of the riser flange 118. The lower wall portion 130 of the mounting yoke 96 cooperates with the collar 88 to define a cavity 133 within which is positoned an annular gasket member comprising, in this instance, a resilient, annular ring 134 having an oval-shaped cross section in its uncompressed condition. The annular ring 134 is illustrated in an uncompressed condition in FIG. 8 and in a compressed condition in FIG. 7 wherein it serves to seal the connecton between the collar 88 and the riser 72. As can best be seen in FIG. 7, an arcuate surface 136 is provided at the intersection of the terminal portion and the riser flange 118. The resilient, annular ring 134 seats against the arcuate surface 136. It should be evident that because of the inclined position of the projections 120, 122, the collar 88, during installation, advances axially into the riser 72 whereby the resilient annular ring 134 is compressed between the arcuate surface 136, the outer wall 114 of the collar 88 and the inner surface of the lower wall portion of the yoke flange 96.

BRACKETS 102 Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4, the brackets 102 are generally C-shaped and include flat end portions 138 which are secured to the mounting flange 128 and the mounting plate 98 preferably by means of rivets 140. The brackets 102 are arranged to maintain the mounting plate 98 in substantially parallel relation with the mounting flange 128 of the yoke flange 96.

PISTQN MOTOR 100 As stated above, the mounting plate 98 supports the pneumatically operated piston motor 100. The motor 100 includes an air inlet conduit 142 to which is connected the conduit 48, and a shaft 144 extending through the mounting plate 98 and depending downwardly therefrom. The pneumatically operated piston motor 100 is of conventional design, usually purchased as a readily available stock item. Therefore, it will be sufficient to state that the shaft 144 is spring-biased in an upward direction and is movable away from the housing of the motor 100 by the introduction of pressurized air through the air inlet conduit 142 into the interior of the motor 100. Thus the location of the shaft 144 is regulated by the pressure applied to the inlet conduit 142.

PLUG 104 Referring now in particular to FIG. 3, the longitudinal axis of the shaft 144 is preferably coaxially aligned with the central axis of the collar 88. The plug 104 is secured to the shaft 144 by resilient connecting means 146 whereby the plug 104 is tiltable about the shaft 144 to compensate for misalignments between the longitudinal axis of the shaft 144 and the central axis of the collar 88. The plug 104 preferably is formed from relatively light-gage metal and preferably is fabricated by a stamping operation. The plug 104 is generally conical in shape including an enlarged end 148, a reduced end and has a dimiuishing cross-sectional area from the enlarged end 148 to the reduced end 150.

RESILIENT CONNECTING MEANS 146 The reduced end 150 is provided with an enlarged opening 152 through which the shaft 144 extends. An annular grommet 154 formed from elastomeric material, such as rubber, is provided having a central bore 155 through which the shaft 144 extends and an annular groove 156 into which the reduced end 150 of the plug 104 is received. A washer 157 is disposed on each of the opposite sides of the annular grommet 154. Nuts 158 are threaded onto the shaft 144 on the opposite sides of the annular grommet 154 and cooperate to compress the annular grommet 154 so as to frictionally secure it to the reduced end 150 and the shaft 144. Since the plug 104 is resiliently supported at its reduced end 150, it is tiltable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 144 and will readily compensate for any misalignment bet-ween the plug 104 and the upper surface 107 of the seating seal memher 106.

DISCHARGE AREA OF VALVE UNIT The plug 104 has an annular region 160 confronting the seating seal member 106 and arranged to correspond with the upper surface 107 of the seating seal member 106. The annular region 160 and the upper surface 107 of the seating seal member 106 define an annular gas passageway 162 through which the conditioned air is discharged from the valve unit 42. The plug 104 is movable toward and away from the seating seal member 106 by means of the pneumatically operated piston motor 100, to vary the cross-sectioual area of the annular gas passageway 162 thereby regulating the flow rate of the air issuing from the valve unit 42.

In FIG. 3, the plug 104 is shown in full lines at a first extreme position wherein it is spaced from the seating seal member 106 and permits a maximum rate of air flow through the annular gas passageway 162. The plug 104 also is shown in dotted outline at a second extreme position wherein the annular region 160 of the plug 104 thereof is engaged with the seating seal member 106 to substantially entirely restrict the flow of gas from the valve unit 42. By means of the pneumatically operated piston motor 100, the plug 104 is positionable at a plurality of positions between and including the first and second extreme positions described above.

SEALING MEANSALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT Reference is now directed to FIG. 9 wherein an alternative means for sealing the connection betwen the collar 88 and the riser 72 is illustrated. Corresponding numerals will be employed to identify corresponding parts already described.

In this embodiment, the annular gasket comprises an O-ring 168. The second end portion 92 of the collar 88 is provided with an outwardly expanded, circumferentially extending wall portion 170 with which the O-ring 168 is engaged. As can be seen, the O-ring 168 is compressed between the outwardly expanded wall portion 170 and the arcuate surface 136 of the riser 72, to seal the connection between the collar 88 and the riser 72.

QUICKLY DETACHABLE COUPLING MEANS- ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT In FIGS. 9 and 10, an alternative embodiment of the quickly detachable coupling means is illustrated and designated generally by the numeral 172. Corresponding numerals will be employed to identify corresponding parts already described.

The quickly detachable coupling means 172 comprises at least one and preferably a plurality of equiangularly spaced lugs 174 projecting radially outwardly of the outer surface 114 of the collar 88, and at least one and preferably a plurality of equiangularly spaced L-shaped recesses or grooves 176 formed in the second end portion 78 of the riser 72. As can best be seen in FIG. 10, each of the L-shaped recesses 176 consists of an inlet groove 178 extending substantially parallel with the central axis of the riser 72 and a locking groove 180 extending transversely of the central axis of the riser 72. Hence, when the collar 88 is inserted into the riser 72, each of the lugs 174 travels downwardly through the inlet groove 178 and then transversely into the locking groove 180. Accordingly, the lugs 174 and L-shaped recesses 176 are arranged to be interlocked by the fractional rotation of the collar 88 about its central axis relative to the riser 72.

V The locking groove 180 has an upper edge 182 which preferably is inclined downwardly away from the inlet groove 178 whereby the collar member 88 is advanced axially downwardly while being rotated. Consequently, the lugs 174 and the locking groove 180 function as fractional external and internal threads and cause a slight downward movement of the collar 88 to further compress the O-ring 168 to form an effective seal for the connection between the collar 88 and the riser 72.

I claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus for regulating the discharge of gas from a gas supply conduit, the combination comprising:

a collar member having a first end including a rim and a second end;

a mounting flange engaged externally with and secured to said collar member and positioned intermediate of the first and sec nd ends of said collar member;

means connected to sa1d mounting flange for controlling the flow rate of gas through said collar member including a plug movable axially of said collar member toward and away from engagement with said rim of said first end of said collar member;

a sleeve member having a first end adapted to communicate with said gas supply conduit and a second end disposed in externally overlapped relation with the second end of said collar member; and

quickly detachable coupling means for connecting said collar member to said sleeve member.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the inner diameters of the second end of said collar member and the first end of said sleeve member are substantially equal whereby the second end of said collar member and the first end of said sleeve member provide an unobstructed passageway for the flow of gas from said gas supply conduit.

3. The combination of claim 1 including means engaging said sleeve member and said collar member for sealing the connection between said collar member and said sleeve member.

4. In apparatus for regulating the flow of gas, the combination comprising:

a conduit conveying gas and having a central axis and a rim;

a plug having an enlarged end and a reduced end pointed toward said rim, said plug being shaped to include an annular area arranged to correspond with and to seat against said rim;

means externally of said conduit for resiliently supporting said plug substantially axially aligned with the central axis of said valve seat; and

'means operable on the last-mentioned means and externally of said conduit for reciprocating said plug toward and away from engagement with said valve seat to regulate the flow of gas through said valve seat;

said means for resiliently supporting said plug being connected solely to said reduced end whereby said plug is tiltable about said reduced end to compensate for misalignment between said rim and said annular area.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said means for resiliently supporting said plug comprises:

a central opening in said reduced end;

a shaft supported in substantially axially aligned relation with the central axis of said conduit, said shaft extending away from said conduit and having a shaft end extending through said opening;

an annular grommet of elastomeric material extending through said opening and surrounding said shaft end; and

means for compressing said annular grommet to resiliently secure said reduced end to said shaft end.

6. In air conditioning apparatus for a room of a building, comprising an enclosure mounted on the floor of said building and including an outlet opening discharging conditioned air into the interior of said room, and two spaced conduits beneath the surface of said floor for communicating air at different conditions to said enclosure;

the improvement comprising:

sleeve members extending through said floor within said enclosure, each of said sleeve members having a first end communicating with one of said conduits and an outwardly expanded second end terminating substantially flush with the surface of said floor;

valve means associated with each of said sleeve members for controlling the discharge of air into the inten'or of said enclosure, each of said valve means having a collar member including an end extending into the second end of its associated sleeve member; and

quickly detachable coupling means each disposed entirely between said outwardly expanded second end and said end of said collar member for connecting said collar members to said sleeve members.

7. In apparatus for regulating the discharge of .gas from a gas supply conduit, the combination comprising:

a collar member having a first end and a second end;

means connected to said collar member for controlling the flow rate of gas through said collar member comprising a plug movable axially of said collar member toward and away from engagement with the rim of said first end of said collar member;

a sleeve member having a first end adapted to communicate with said gas supply conduit and a second end disposed in overlapped surface engagement with said second end of said collar member;

quickly detachable coupling means for connecting said collar member to said sleeve member; and

means for sealing the connection between said collar member and said sleeve member, comprising;

an outwardly flared rim formed on the second end of one said member;

a circumferentially extending, outwardly expanded wall portion on the other said member; and

annular gasket means compressed between said outwardly flared rim and said circumferentially extending, outwardly expanded wall portion.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said gasket second end of said collar member and cooperating therewith to define an annular space; and

quickly detachable couplings means within said annular space and intermediate of the terminal rims of said sleeve member and said collar member for connecting said collar member to said sleeve member.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said quickly detachable coupling means comprises:

two circumferentially spaced projections formed on the outer surface of the second end of said collar member; and

two circumferentially spaced recesses formed on the inner surface of said wall portion and corresponding with said projections;

said projections and said recesses being interlocked by the fractional rotation of said collar member relative to said sleeve member, said projections and said recesses being axially spaced from the terminal ends of said sleeve member and said collar member.

11. The combination of claim 9 wherein said quickly detachable coupling means comprises:

means urges said collar member into said sleeve memher; and including resilient means compressed between said collar member, the second end of said sleeve member and said cylindrical band for sealing the connection between said collar member and said sleeve member.

means comprises an O-ring. 35

9. In apparatus for regulating the discharge of gas from a gas supply conduit, the combination comprising: a collar member having a first end and a second end including a terminal rim; a mounting flange intermediate of the ends of said collar member; a cylindrical band engaged externally with and secured to said collar member and having one end support- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ing said mounting flange' 1,058,549 4/1933 ca'tigcart 137366 X means supported by said mounting flange for regulatg n ing the flow rate of gas i g from the first end 5 10 1955 L n 38 38 of said collar member, including a P movable 2,729,429 1 195 i m lnfl 9 8 I; X axially of said collar member toward and away from 2749999 6/1956 schinid I 2 X engagement with the rim of the first end of said col- 2783702 3/1957 u lar member. ay 9841 X 2,864,300 12/1958 Curran 98-3l a sleeve member having a first end adapted to com- 3 034 521 5/1962 G fi 1d 251 144 X municate with said gas supply conduit and a second 3O36814 5/1962 e 85 X end disposed in extern y ov pp relation with 3043329 7/1962 j 251 143 X th second end of said collar m m Said Second 1 2 1 4 e i end f said sleeve ember having a terminal rim 7 9 Jentot 98-38 X which is remote from the terminal rim of said collar member;

said second end of said sleeve member including an outwardly expanded wall portion surrounding the M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

R. C. MILLER, Assistant Examiner. 

